Mythic Monsters

I’m hard at work on my first novel that begins in 701 A.D. in Scandinavia and meanders along to France when three brothers reach French soil around 825 A.D. Though the Viking raids are ravaging the country, the young men are not warring “Northmen”; they are peace-loving protagonists hoping to become landowners. Raised by generations of mystical women, they will contribute greatly to their new homeland as feudal farmers and shipbuilders, and eventually as crusaders. While researching different aspects pertaining to their time, the mix of cultural mythologies that colored their attitudes has surprised me. Their Scandinavian legends replete with a panoply of gods originating with the Old Norse folktales is prominent, but there is also a heavy dose of Greek and Roman mythology in the mix as they were exposed to other cultures. You can be sure, the boys will be contending with an array of history’s mythic monsters.

Mythic Monsters

One of the fiercest creatures in Scandinavian folklore is the Kraken, a larger-than-life representation of the octopus. The legendary cephalopod-like sea monster roars forth from the oceans in Norse sagas where we find the Kraken menacing the waters off the coasts of Norway and Greenland as it terrorizes sailors with its giant tentacles. Given squids can grow up to 50-feet in length, it’s easy to see why Krakens became feared ocean-dwelling monsters in the superstitions related by the ancient rovers, as Saxo Drammaticus called pirates in his twelfth-century manuscript Gesta Danorum or History of the Danes. Snakes large enough to swallow men, fire-breathing dragons, vicious wolves—the most dangerous called Finrir—lived vibrantly in the imaginations of medieval dwellers on the earth and wanderers on the seas. But not all ancient tales villainized creatures swimming below the ocean’s surface, as you can read below in Saxo’s retelling of King Hadding’s quandary. First, though, let’s look at a more colorful, modern—and might I say peaceful—rendition of these tentacled terrors.

Otto Honors His Ancestors 

I really do love it when my fictive creative work dovetails with my “daytime job” as a design writer, an instance that happened recently an outstanding example. When I came across a lively likeness of the Kraken by New Ravenna, it gave me a lens through which to share my efforts to bring the ancient world to life. Named Otto, the fine-art glass-mosaic piece was inspired by the same mythological octopi that have been fascinating me as I plow through the centuries. The designer of the sea-faring creature, Jacquelyn Bizzotto, says about her creation: “Octopus tentacles are remarkably flexible and exhibit a wide range of movement. To capture this, I emphasized curving lines and thoughtful placement. Each tentacle features a unique pattern reflecting its position in the mosaic. Together the tentacles span twelve feet from left to right. I also incorporated bold, striking colors—a hallmark of modern design—to give the artwork a fresh, stylized look while still respecting the natural forms of the octopus.”

She adds that the inspiration for the color palette stemmed from the emotional and symbolic meanings associated with the different hues. “Orange evokes warmth and vibrancy, while blue suggests calmness and mystery,” she explains. “The color palette creates a dynamic and engaging visual experience, drawing viewers into the artwork while maintaining a familiarity that we associate with the intriguing octopus.” The vibrancy she achieved required a blending of 24 colors of jewel glass with accents in twenty-four-karat gold. For the first time, copper glass from Italy was used by New Ravenna, a nod to the blue-colored blood of octopi, which contains a copper-rich protein called hemocyanin. Five master mosaicists, led by Marcie McComb, created Otto entirely by hand, shaping thousands of pieces of glass and arranging them individually.  

The hand-nipped mosaic can be customized in color, size, and design for an installation indoors or out. The nautical nature of the composition lends itself to yacht interiors, fountains, and swimming pools. Given that my already overactive imagination has been hyped-up by the ancient myths I am finding in my research, I would likely be started to come across this eight-tentacled creature in an interior space or a swimming pool. That said, I would love to have the chance to study him up close because I am such a fan of this company’s mosaic artistry. Also, it’s fascinating to me how talented designers like Bizzotto continue to reinvent forms that have been around since ancient times—in her case with centuries-old techniques. It’s one of the motivations that drives my work so I always appreciate seeing it in other creatives. 

Hadding and the Sea-Beast

Now back to King Hadding and his dust-up with one of history’s mythic monsters: Saxo relates the fate of the Danish king after the monarch cruelly but unknowingly killed a god, which was disguised as a sea-beast, while he was washing his heat-scorched body in the cool ocean waters off the coast of Sweden. “He attacked and cut down with many blows a beast of unknown kind, and having killed it carried it into camp,” Saxo writes. “As he was exulting in this deed, a woman met him and addressed him in these words: ‘Whether thou tread the fields afoot, or spread canvas overseas, thou shalt suffer the hate of the gods, and through all the world shalt behold the elements oppose thy purposes. Afield thou shalt fall, on sea thou shalt be tossed, and eternal tempests shall attend the steps of thy wandering.’” The woman’s tirade continues for a long while, telling Hadding when he is at sea, the wrath of Aeolus, the keeper of the winds in Greek mythology, shall besiege him. “The West and the furious North, as well as the South wind shall beat thee down and send forth their blasts in rivalry.” She tells Hadding his only recourse is to better himself with prayers until he has “melted the sternness of heaven” and appeased the punishment he had earned. 

Saxo says it took a while for Hadding to realize his predicament couldn’t be outrun or outsmarted. “He suffered all things after this one fashion, and his coming brought disquiet upon all peaceful places,” he explains. “For when he was at sea, a mighty storm arose and destroyed his fleet in a great tempest; and when, a shipwrecked man, he sought shelter, he found a sudden downfall of that house.” Finally realizing he had no other option but to entreat the gods, Hadding, “atoned by sacrifice for his crime, and was able to return into favor with heaven,” Saxo explains. “For, in order to appease the deities, he sacrificed dusky victims to the god Frey.” Quite the lesson to be learned from the fate of an ancient and beleaguered king whose lot in life played out in either the 4^th or 5^th century, as close as I can decipher from the research I’ve been doing. Let’s just say I don’t think I’ll be going snorkeling anytime soon!

Mythic Monsters © Saxon Henry, all rights reserved. Saxon is an author, journalist, poet, and strategist whose books include her newest title Lives Illuminated, which is also available in a Kindle edition; The Modern Salonnière; Anywhere But Here; Stranded on the Road to Promise; Four Florida Moderns; and Collaborations: A Houston Penthouse. Banner image: “Kraken of the imagination” by John Gibson, created in 1887; which is in the public domain.